Awake My Soul
by cuteepiee1
Summary: "I keep having these strange dreams, almost like memories, but I don't recognize any of the people. Except one, he's always in the dreams, he never looks the same though..." "I think the dreams might be memories from your past lives...have you ever heard the story of soul mates?" Delena D/E AU set during summer of season 3 while Stefan is off being a ripper
1. Prologue

**I know I shouldn't be starting another story but I can't help it! I'm shamelessly addicted to Vampire Diaries and a huge Delena shipper. So basically this is just a story about Elena and Damon being soulmates. Elena keeps having strange dreams that she discovers are actually memories of her past lives with Damon. This story just wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out, so I hope you all enjoy it! **

**Cuteepiee1**

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_The night air hung heavy in the darkness of the forest. The blood rushing in her ears drowned out the sound of her feet pounding against the forest floor. Looking around wildly, frantically searching the trees for any source of another life form. Heart beating erratically in her chest._

_Suddenly she ran into a hard, muscular chest. Gasping, she was enveloped in strong arms. She looked up and was met with familiar blue eyes, staring down at her. He put a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet._

_She stayed in his embrace taking in his familiar scent, letting herself relax for a moment. Knowing she was safe for now in her lover's arms._

_He stilled when he heard the sound of multiple footsteps coming towards them, saw the flicker of the torches. Knowing they were coming for the two of them, he tried to take advantage of these last precious moments with her._

_He felt her shaking, trying to control her breathing. His brave woman, so much had happened to them already, yet she stayed strong._

_He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes, "I love you so much, you are my everything. My heart, my life, my very soul."_

_"I love you too, I'm not ready to let you go. We have had so little time together...why would the Gods bring us together, only to have us ripped apart so suddenly?"_

_The tears flooded her eyes, blurring her vision. She heard them getting closer as well, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop them._

_He brushed away her tears and kissed her gently, "I know it is not fair, but there is a reason for everything, I promise you." He kissed her again, more forcefully, knowing this would be the last time. They were not far away, all of them shouting orders._

_Losing himself in his last kiss with her, he didn't hear when they came up behind him, ripping his arms away from her._

_"Don't touch her!" He shouted at them, his voice strong, though on the inside he felt anything but. Watching them yank her small frame around had his insides burning with rage. He fought wildly against the men restraining him, to no avail. He turned his eyes to her scared face, "I love you! Never forget that! If we cannot be together in this life, then I shall spend eternity searching for you. I will find you again!"_

_She nodded, letting the tears fall freely, "I love you too, I'll be waiting for you my love..."_

_With those last words, she felt the sting of a blade as it shot through her chest. Staring at her lover, she wanted his face to be the last thing she saw on this earth._

_When he saw the blade go through her heart, he let out an earth shattering wail, the sound only a man truly in pain could make. He fought harder against them, trying to get to her, to hold her and tell her it would be alright. He watched her fall to the ground lifelessly. He fell limply to the ground, completely numb. A world without her was no world at all._

_He heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed, and did not care. Knowing that the cold, sharp blade would bring him to her. The blade thrust into his chest and he let the darkness consume him._

_'Wait for me, my love, I will find you...'_

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Gasping wildly, Elena sat up in bed. Heart pounding, she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. She clutched her chest, searching frantically for the wound that had been inflicted by the sword. When she found none she realized it was just a dream.

Picking up her phone on her nightstand, she dialed without thinking. The dreams had gotten too vivid and out of control. She needed help.

After ringing twice she heard a familiar voice greeting her.

"Bonnie... I need your help...I think something is wrong with me..."

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**Well there you have it! Please review, let me know if this story is worth continuing! Please and thank you =] **


	2. Blue Eyes

**Hey guys, I saw quite a bit of followers for this story so yay thank you! Please review so I know what you guys think of the story, and if you have any ideas you want to share with me about what you want to see in the story! I really hope you enjoy this chapter! **

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It didn't take Bonnie long to get to Elena's house, she heard the panic in her friend's voice and knew it was really important. Her friend was still shaking slightly when she got to her house.

"Elena what happened?" Bonnie asked after they had taken a seat in the kitchen.

Elena breathed in deeply, trying to control the rambling thoughts in her head. "I keep having these strange dreams, they are almost like memories, but I never recognize any of the people. Except one, he's always in the dreams. But he never looks the same." Elena tried to conjure up an image of the man, and instantly there were several versions of his beautiful face in her mind. The only thing that was ever the same was... "His eyes. They never change, always the same bright blue. Thats how I know it is the same man."

"Elena.. how long have you been having these dreams?"

She racked her brain trying to remember the first dream she had like this. "Um.. I think since the night Stefan left."

Bonnie looked thoughtful for a moment, "Have you told Damon?"

Rolling her eyes, Elena scoffed. "No, since that night he hasn't been very talkative lately. I think he really misses Stefan."

Stefan had left just a few weeks prior with Klaus after getting a cure for a werewolf bite for Damon. Elena had thought for sure that Damon was a goner, until Katherine brought the cure. However, that happened after Elena kissed Damon. Further confusing her growing feelings for the eldest Salvatore.

Bonnie nodded, knowing that though Damon was a real ass, he loved his brother. "Elena..this is going to sound crazy but I think I might know what those dreams are."

"At this point, nothing could surprise me Bonnie." Elena said with a soft sigh.

"Well first, I don't think they are dreams I think they are memories. And Second...I think they are your memories..." Bonnie looked at her friend nervously, trying to gauge her reaction.

Elena's brows furrowed in confusion, "How can those be my memories Bonnie, not only do I not remember them, but they weren't even from this time."

"Thats the tricky part, I think that these are memories from past lives. Like reincarnation. It isn't super common but there are special cases. Like with soul mates."

Elena had a glimpse back into her dream, the man said that she was his soul... "You mean that I am having memories of my soul mate?"

Nodding, Bonnie began explaining her theory. "Well it would explain why the dreams felt like memories. It also explains the eyes. Everyone says that your eyes are the window to your soul, so it makes sense that his eyes are the one thing that has never changed."

All of this made sense to Elena but this was just too much to handle. Couldn't there be _one _part of her life that wasn't touched by the supernatural? Guess not. After everything with Stefan, and her confusing feelings for Damon, and now these dreams... when did she get a break?

Bonnie saw her friend's inner turmoil. She had lost so much, they all had. It wasn't fair that they weren't able to have normal lives.

She moved toward Elena, putting an arm around her. "I know it is a lot to take in Elena, but everything happens for a reason, right?"

Elena nodded, knowing it was true. She would just let this whole thing play out and see where it went from there.

That night Elena headed to the boarding house, it had been a few days since she had talked to Damon...since the kiss.

As soon as she walked in the door she was greeted by the familiar sight of Damon sitting by the fire, nursing a glass of Bourbon.

"Hello, Elena" She rolled her eyes at the familiar drawl; typical, he was just going to act as if everything was completely normal.

Moving across the room, she seated herself on the couch near him. "Damon, I thought you said you were going to help me get Stefan back? Last I checked, he wasn't hiding at the bottom of your glass."

His face tightened and his mouth contorted in a sarcastic grin, "Aren't you just _hilarious_? Really, you are simply _to die for._" He took another swig of Bourbon, "and FYI, I said I would let you know about any information on little boy lost."

Elena huffed in annoyance, something Damon was very used to seeing. However, he could tell something was off, more than just Stefan's disappearance. "You okay?" Damon asked, furrowing his brows.

"It's nothing, just worried about Stefan."

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her, "Really, Elena? Lying? I thought we were past all that now."

She sighed, knowing how stubborn Damon could be. It couldn't hurt to tell him what had been going on. They were friends now, and hey, maybe he knew something about these dreams. He's been around long enough to have possibly heard about it.

"I keep having these dreams.." She started but was rudely cut off, "Oh Elena, naughty, naughty. If you wanted to see if I look as good naked as I do in your dreams, all you have to do is ask."

"Ugh! Can't you just take _one _ thing seriously?"

Damon's eyes softened a bit, and he nodded for her to continue.

"Thank you," She said before continuing to tell him about her dreams. When he seemed interested, she explained in greater detail what happened in the dreams. She could remember each one with perfect clarity, better than she could remember what she had for breakfast that morning.

At the end, Damon actually looked dumbfounded. "Well..That is certainly something." His brows knitted together as he tried to work something out in his mind, "Wait, you said that Judgey told you these are probably memories from a past life?"

Elena nodded, "From several, because the man in my dreams never looks the same. Like I said, his eyes are the only way I could tell he was the same person." She sighed and looked towards the fire, "He seems so familiar Damon, it is really strange."

Damon didn't have anything to say to this, he had never heard of this happening before. "We can add this onto our supernatural to-do list."

"Yeah like we need anything more to worry about. Let's just focus on finding Stefan, okay? I'll be fine, as long as I don't start getting sucked into these dreams, I think I'll be able to handle them."

Damon gave a short laugh, "You just jinxed yourself. Now that you said it, it is totally going to happen." Damon laughed again and Elena even joined him, knowing that with her luck, this was a real possibility.

They talked for a while longer before Elena decided it was time to head home, she didn't want to worry Jeremy or Alaric. Damon walked her to the door and decided to pull her in for a hug, the girl really could use more of them with all the tragedy in her life.

He kissed her forehead and as he pulled back he stared straight into Elena's into his eyes for a moment she gasped. That startling shade of pure blue, that blue that just wouldn't leave her head.

The blue that told her this was the same man she had fallen for, lifetime after lifetime.

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**Now Elena knows that Damon is her soul mate! Please review! They make me really happy =]**


	3. How can you two be soulmates!

**Hey everyone! Here is the new chapter, sorry it is a bit short but it is mostly a filler with not much Delena so I really just wanted to get it up for you all to read. I really hope you all are enjoying the story, from the reviews I have gotten it seems like you are! So please, keep reviewing and let me know if there is anything I can do to improve my work! Thank you all! Enjoy the chapter =]**

**Oh and a little disclaimer because I forgot in the first chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Anything recognizable does not belong to me! **

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Elena laid in her bed, apprehensive to fall asleep now, not knowing when she might have another dream-memory thing. She hadn't told Damon that he was her soul mate. It wouldn't be fair to him if she told him now while she was still confused about how she felt for him, and hanging onto some hope that Stefan would come back and everything could go back to normal.

It was an overwhelming thought. Soul mates...with Damon. Sure she cared about him and had feelings she kept denying, but actual soul mates? That was crazy. What was crazier was all the things his past selves had said to her...well her past selves also. He held such love and devotion and almost reverence in his words that she couldn't deny the strong connection their souls had.

When it was apparent that her thoughts were going to keep her up for a while, she decided to write down everything that had happened in her diary, a nice, cathartic way to get out all of her thoughts and feelings without being judged for it.

The next morning Caroline called her saying that they were in need of a girls day. So reluctantly, Elena got ready. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a tee with flip flops and then headed towards Caroline's house, after making sure Jeremy went to work.

"So how are you doing with everything?" Caroline asked as they sat in the Grill eating lunch. Bonnie had told Caroline about the dreams, knowing that the blond would want to know what was happening with her best friend.

"Well Stefan is still missing and now I'm having these dreams...er...memories of my past lives. As a whole, it could be worse, but I still feel pretty crappy about it all." Elena replied, picking at her fries.

"I know Elena, it's a lot to deal with, but you have me, and Bonnie, and as much as I hate saying this, Damon. We are all here for you."

Elena nodded, "I know, and I couldn't be more grateful to have you all. I don't know what I would do without you guys."

Caroline smiled, happy to help her friend. She was extremely interested in these dreams that Elena was having though. Getting to see your soul mate in past lives, super cool! "So do you have any ideas on who your soul mate might be?" Caroline said, with a small smirk on her face.

Elena blushed, she couldn't tell Caroline that Damon was her soul mate, not only would she not approve, she would let it slip. She had a very big mouth, and becoming a vampire did not make it any better. "Uh..nope. No idea."

"You're lying! Oh my god, you totally know who it is!" Caroline stated loudly causing several people to look their way, making Elena's blush darken.

"Nice one Care, why don't you talk a little louder? I don't think they heard you in China!" Caroline giggled, and then apologized, anxious for Elena to tell her who her soul mate is. Elena sighed, looking at the expectant look on her friend's face, knowing there was no way around telling Caroline. She quickly mumbled Damon's name.

Caroline squinted, trying to figure out what Elena said. "What? Elena, I'm a vampire but even I couldn't pick that up. Who is it?"

Closing her eyes she quickly said Damon's name again, knowing that by the sound Caroline made, she had heard her.

"What?! How can you two be soul mates? Didn't he spend like a century and a half completely _obsessed _with Katherine?"

"I don't know how it works Care, but it's the eyes. He has the eyes that are in _every _single memory. What else am I supposed to think?"

The two friends continued their conversation, completely unaware of a third party listening in.


	4. It's not right

**Hey guys! Yay for getting more than one chapter up today! Haha, you guys have been so great, this story has gotten so many views and alerts so far. It makes me so happy to know you all enjoy my writing! I do have a question, do the characters seem OOC to you? I am trying very hard to keep them all as in character as I can, but it can be a little challenging. Let me know your thoughts! Also, I used google translate in this chapter, so I'm sorry for anyone who speaks Bulgarian if I messed up the phrasing. **

**Enjoy and please review! **

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Elena didn't get home until late that night, knowing that by now Ric and Jeremy would both be asleep, she snuck into the house. As she walked in she was greeted with the sight of Alaric's sleeping form on the couch. His new "bed" since Jenna...died.

The thought of what happened to her aunt still brought Elena to tears. She quickly blinked away the moisture and gave a slight smile towards Alaric, grateful to have him in her life, and then proceeded to walk up the stairs to check on Jeremy and then head off to bed.

Looking into her brother's room she saw him fast asleep, curled around his open laptop. He most likely fell asleep while web chatting with Bonnie, who was away for the summer. She walked into the room and closed his laptop, then looked at her brother. Seeing him like this, made her remember just how young he really was, how young they both were. He was only sixteen and Elena was turning eighteen at the end of summer. It wasn't fair that they had to live this way.

Sighing, Elena moved a stray piece of her brother's hair from his face, and kissed his cheek gently. Turning off his light, she gave one last look at her sleeping brother, content that he was safe for now.

She finally made it to her own room, ready to crash after her long day. Flicking on the light, she gasped in surprise when she saw a figure on her bed.

"Damon!" she used that tone that she only _ever_ used on him, "What are you doing here?"

His eyebrow rose and in an act of defiance, he snuggled further into her bed. "Well I figured I would wait for you, maybe we could catch a little shut eye together, see if you get anymore dreams about me." Noticing the way her eyes widened he smirked, then continued, "I mean, I am your soul mate right? At least thats what I heard you tell vampire Barbie."

"You listened in on my _private _conversation?!" She whisper-yelled at him, not wanting to wake up Ric or Jeremy.

He rolled his eyes at her, "Yeah 'cause _that _takes priority over the fact you didn't tell me about your little discovery." His eyes flashed on the last word.

"I didn't want to add anymore stress right now Damon. With everything that has happened I didn't want this to be something more we worried about when there are more important things to take care of."

"Yeah like finding Saint Stefan." He said sarcastically, "I wonder what he would say if he knew that _I _was your soul mate...not him." For a moment Elena couldn't tell if he meant that statement in a threatening way, or if he was genuinely curious to know Stefan's reaction.

"Well it doesn't matter. We can't find him yet and we aren't even positive that you are my soul mate. And if you are then why hasn't it worked out for us in the past? None of our past lives have had a happy ending so far Damon, what if we weren't meant to be? What if it isn't right" Elena voiced some of her concerns, trying not to let Damon see how worried she was. She had already lost one man she thought she loved, and if she opened up and admitted Damon was her soul mate, then what would happen if she lost him too?

He shut his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them, Elena saw only a flash of disappointment in them until there was no emotion at all. At a very human pace, Damon walked towards her, taking her face in his hands and angling it so she looked him in the eyes.

"It is right Elena...maybe just not right _now._" With that he was out of her room, too fast for her to really comprehend what happened until she saw the empty space.

She sighed regretfully, knowing she hurt him again. That was all she seemed to be doing lately. Hurting people. Jeremy, Jenna, John, Ric, and Damon...always hurting Damon. She felt the sting of the tears and this time, did nothing to banish them. She fell into bed sobbing, whimpering apologies that would never be heard, until she finally fell asleep.

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"_Push darling, you are doing so well." _

_A man held his wife's hand as she gave birth to their first child. She was completely drenched in sweat, her thin nightdress, clinging to her slick skin. She was gasping in pain and holding her husband's hand tightly. "I can't do this...it hurts too much!" She moaned, staring into her husband's eyes. _

"_You are the strongest person I know love, you can get through this." _

_She whimpered but continued to breathe and push at the instruction of the midwife. Soon she was greeted with the sound of a baby wailing. But she could barely enjoy the sound, she was so tired. _

_Her husband was holding the baby and helping to clean it off. "Oh my love, what a beautiful girl we have. What should we call her?" He looked to his wife, who had a smile on her face, but she looked so tired. _

"_Mira." Was the only word that came from her lips, she struggled to keep her eyes open as she held her arms out for her daughter. When the baby was settled in her arms, she took a few moments just examining her, "My beautiful Mira, my light." her gaze turned to her husband, who knew something was wrong. _

"_жена ми, не можеш да ме оставиш" _

"_Hush, душата ми, all will be well. You will take care of our daughter and when it is your time, I will see you again. Your soul will find me, we are meant to be together моята любов, not even death could stop our bond." By now she could barely see her husband, so she used all the strength left in her to open her eyes wider. _

_She kissed her daughter on the head once more and then turned her face towards her husband. Reaching up and brushing away his tears from his bright blue eyes, she kissed him one last time before she fell limp. _

_All that could be heard were the anguished sobs of the husband who had lost his wife. _

_There was nothing but black, then from the darkness a light glowed. As the light grew brighter a vision swirled into place. _

_A man hanging from a tree, above a lone grave._

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**Okay so translations in order! **

_**"My wife, you can not leave me!"**_

_**"My soul"**_

_**"My love"**_

**Also, Mira in this form, which is Slovic actually means peace, but Meera, in Hebrew means Light, which is like Elena's name. So for the sake of the story we are going to pretend that this version of Mira actually means light! **

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please review! **


	5. Not Enough

**Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing good! You guys have been so great about reviews, so I am trying to get chapters up as quickly as I can. I'm going to be honest right now, this chapter came kind of out of nowhere, I had not planned on the story going in this direction, but as this point I have decided to just sort of let the characters take over. So I hope you all enjoy the chapter, please let me know what you think! **

**Thanks again to : SnowWhite1864, SWEdelena, Vampsydney, Lina89, and the various guests who have all reviewed my story! Not to mention all of you who have favorited and followed this story! You guys are awesome! **

**Okay thats all, please enjoy, and remember if you recognize anything then it doesn't belong to me! **

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Elena woke with a gasp. The image of the hanging body still fresh in her dream haze. She had felt _every _emotion in that dream. Her love for her husband, her husband's despair, the agony of lost love.

It was too much. All that emotion was drowning her, she didn't even realize she was hyperventilating until two strong arms wrapped around her shaking frame.

"Elena! What's wrong? What happened?!" Damon was trying not to panic at the sight of the young girl shaking and breathing rapidly. Deciding that calming her down took precedence, he gently stroked her hair and whispered soothing words in her ear.

Finally her breathing slowed but the shaking did not stop. Instead, tears fell from her eyes and she began sobbing for the second time that night.

"Damon" she cried, turning in his arms to bury her face in his neck.

"What happened, Elena?" he said as he continued to stroke her hair.

"Damon.. birth... too much... baby...me...you...death!" Those were the only words that she could choke out in between her sobs, but Damon had a feeling of what had happened.

"Oh Elena, it's okay, that happened a long time ago, we are both fine now." He tried to placate her.

"No! Mira... our baby...no parents." Elena tried to calm herself down so she could explain what exactly made this dream worse than the others. "Damon, we had a baby, she was the most beautiful girl in the world...Mira...our light. But I died giving birth to her...and you...your pain...it was crushing. I've never felt that feeling in my life..it was horrible...and then..you hung yourself from the tree that was by my grave."

Now Damon understood, their baby had been left alone. He had to admit, if he lost Elena he would definitely be close behind her, but if there was a baby involved...that complicated things. He couldn't understand how his past self could leave their baby.

"Shh Elena, its okay, I'm sure Mira was looked after. I don't think my past self was _that _ selfish, as to leave his daughter without anyone."

Elena nodded, still not completely convinced, but feeling a little better about the situation now.

Damon observed her, the way she reacted to this dream, it was intense, and different than her reaction to any dream before. "They are getting worse aren't they? The dreams?"

Elena nodded again, "This one was so vivid and I felt _everything _Damon. Our love for each other, our happiness about Mira, and the despair you felt when I was gone. I felt like I was drowning in the emotions."

"Maybe Bonnie can do something to help you? Maybe she can take the dreams away?"

The idea sounded good and bad to Elena. She could stop feeling this way every time she fell asleep, but then if the dreams were gone...no more feeling that intense love she felt when she was with past Damons.

"I don't know Damon, I mean I started having these dreams for a reason. I think I should wait it out and see what happens."

Damon's face contorted into a mask of incredulity, "You can't be serious Elena! You were having a panic attack after this dream."

"I'm fine now though Damon, and besides..I'm sort of...starting to enjoy them. Well the good parts at least." Taking in his raised eyebrows she rushed to explain, "It's just...our past selves have loved each other so much, it is so beautiful. I'm not ready to give that up yet."

Damon moved away from Elena quickly, walking away from the bed, he ran his hands through his hair. He shook his head as a sarcastic bark of laughter came from his mouth. After a moment he turned back to look at Elena, who had been watching the scene, wondering what happened.

"I'm never going to be enough...am I? You can't _bear _to part with my past selves, parts of my soul, but you can't take me as I am now."

Elena had no idea what to say, obviously that was not even close to what she thought. She cared for Damon, deeply. These memories were making her realize just how much she truly cared about him, and that was extremely confusing. She was with Stefan..he gave up everything to save Damon...it wouldn't be right to give up on him now. And if she did, then she was no better than Katherine. She did not want to be the reason that the brothers spent another hundred-something years hating each other.

"I'm going to take your silence as my answer. Good-bye Elena."He started walking towards the window but then turned to her once more, "You know you wouldn't have to give that feeling up Elena...not with me." With that Damon was out the window, leaving Elena to realize just how badly she had messed up this time.

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**Sorry for the ending, I couldn't see where else I could take this particular chapter. Sorry for the angsty-ness =[ Also, apologies for Elena and her tendency to put her foot in her mouth when it comes to Damon! I figured it worked for the story because she does it all the time in the show! Anyways, enough of my rambling, please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Thank you guys! **


	6. Real Feelings

**Hey guys! So I noticed not a lot of reviews last chapter =[ I just wanted to apologize for the way the last chapter ended, but it had to be done. This is more of a filler chapter but I am already halfway done with the next chapter and I am going to be posting that sometime today =] Please review and let me know what you think! A big thank you to SnowWhite1864 who did review! Thank you =] **

**Alright everyone enjoy this chapter! Please review =]**

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Elena sighed as she opened her eyes, the bright sunlight streaming in through the window greeted her as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. Another night of tossing and turning. It had been a week since Damon left her room. It had also been a week since she had another memory-dream. She couldn't help but feel as if the two were connected.

She got out of bed, determined to not show just how much she was missing Damon. He was always the one she could count on, to make her laugh, to be honest, to just be there for her. He was always there, and she messed it up.

In all fairness, she knew how bad she messed up, and she felt so guilty. But she was feeling guilty for a lot more than just that. She was guilty because she hurt Damon time and time again. Guilty for letting Stefan give himself up to Klaus. And guilty for the fact that she knew her and Damon were soul mates, but she couldn't bring herself to forget about Stefan...not after all he has done for her.

'_This isn't right, I love Stefan. I can't just give up on what we have because Damon and I were...are soul mates...can I? I don't want to be like Katherine, but I don't want to hurt them either." _

Elena pushed away the confusing thoughts as she got ready for the day. She walked into Jeremy's bedroom, he was late for his shift at the Grill.

"Jer," she started to gently shake him, to no avail, "Jeremy, come on you're late." Jeremy rolled over so he was on his belly, his face planted firmly in his pillow.

"Lena, just five more minutes." came the muffled response.

Elena took in the scene for a minute before giggling. This was one of the first normal things her and her brother had been able to do for a long while. The thought soured her mood a bit, but she was determined to stay positive for the rest of the day.

"Jer, as much as I would love for us both to be able to sleep the day away, you have work, remember? Matt is counting on you to be there."

Jeremy groaned into his pillow, knowing he had lost this time. He slowly got out of bed and sleepily grinned at his sister, "Can you at least make me coffee, please Elena?"

Grinning, Elena nodded and headed downstairs to see if Ric was awake yet. Elena knew that Ric completed their dysfunctional family. He was holding her and her brother together, the perfect glue for two messed up teenagers with no one.

Alaric was already up and attempting to make coffee, Elena smiled to herself as she moved towards him, giving him a quick 'Good morning' and pressing the right buttons on the coffee machine for him. He groaned, "I am never going to figure out that damn machine." Elena laughed again and started making a breakfast for herself. Something light, her stomach was still upset from not seeing Damon.

Alaric noticed her small meal and knew exactly why she was eating so light. "Damon still hasn't talked to you?"

Elena shook her head. "And why should he? I messed up Ric."

"Elena, you can't take all the blame for this. You are just a kid. Everything that has happened to you would be too much for a _regular _teenager, but mix in the vampires, werewolves, and dopplegangers...thats just insane."

Elena nodded, still not believing that this wasn't completely her fault. She knew what Damon was like, she knew his past, and she knew that he was very familiar with the feeling of rejection. A feeling that she kept giving him, time and time again.

She gave herself another minute for her pity party and then decided what she was going to do. She had to go see Damon, she had to make it right with him. Most importantly, she had to tell him that she had feelings, real feelings, for him.


	7. Jealousy and Overreactions

**Oh my goodness! You guys have been absolutely amazing! I love you all! So many reviews and, favorites, and follows. You all inspire me, and you inspired this chapter! It is the longest chapter I've written so far, and it was all for you guys, so I could show my appreciation. **

**A special thanks to SnowWhite1864, shaybaby, BornForThe70's, buffygirl 3, and the guests who reviewed the last chapter! Thank you guys! Hope you all like this chapter. **

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* * *

The drive to the boarding house was quick. Elena barely had anytime to process just what she was going to say to Damon. She knew it would all come out in a jumble anyways, he had that effect on her. Not like she would ever admit to that out loud.

She quickly exited her car and made her way to the door of the house, not bothering to knock, she was here often enough it didn't matter. Besides, it was her house still...technically.

In hindsight, she probably should have knocked this time, because she ran smack dab into a hastily getting dressed Andie Starr.

'_Oh...right...he was still dating her.' _ Elena attempted to quell her jealousy, it was such a foreign when talking about _Damon_. However the little green monster was not going anywhere, and it only got worse when Andie giggled a goodbye to Elena and gave Damon a quick peck on the lips. Elena was then drawn to attention of Damon's attire...or lack thereof.

He was wearing a towel, riding low on his hips. His hair was slightly damp, most likely from a shower, but knowing how eccentric Damon was, it was probably a bubble bath.

"Well _fancy _seeing you here Elena" Damon drew out her name as he sauntered away in only a way Damon could.

"I didn't realize you had company, Damon." She bit out. Surprised at just how hostile the words came out.

Damon seemed a little thrown off by her tone as well. Nonetheless, he made his way towards the stairs, fully intent on getting dressed. With or without an audience.

"My _girlfriend _is welcome whenever she likes Elena, surely it hasn't been that long that Stefan has been gone, that you have forgotten how hospitable he was with you." He smirked in her direction, knowing this would strike a chord.

It did. Elena flinched slightly at the mention of Stefan's name, and Damon felt a momentary pang of guilt. But pushed it aside quickly, he was still hurting and she would not get the best of him this time.

Elena composed herself quickly, "She barely warrants the title of girlfriend." she retorted, knowing she was beginning to expose her true feelings.

"Careful Elena, I might start to think you were jealous."

By now the two had walked up the stairs and made it to his bedroom, and Damon stepped into his closet to change.

"You can be such a jerk!" Elena knew she was being unfair but at this point she didn't care. He knew just how to rile her up. "I came here because I couldn't stand going another day knowing you were mad at me! I came here to apologize and to tell you about my feelings. But I can see you have been much too busy to give me a second thought, so I'm done here."

Without giving him a second to process everything she had just said, she stormed out of the room leaving a bewildered Damon in her wake.

* * *

The rest of the day passed rather slowly for Elena. She spent most of it at the Grill with Caroline and Tyler. Bonnie had left the other day to spend time with her dad's family. She would be gone for the whole summer.

Caroline and Tyler were a nice distraction from the mess she had left with Damon. Ugh, why could things between them never just be simple? Why did he have to frustrate her and push her buttons so much?

Tyler was sweet, he attempted to help her understand Damon's mind. "The dude is totally in love with you, anyone can see that. That Andie girl, she is just giving him a way to _err _release...pent up frustrations from you. I mean if he frustrates you this much, you probably have the same effect on him."

_That _thought did not help Elena feel better. She knew Damon had slept with her, but having the images float in her head, made her jealousy burn fiercer than before. She tried to push the unwelcome thoughts from her head, but was reminded of them when she saw who had just walked into the grill.

'_Perfect...just what I needed right now.' _ Elena thought as she rolled her eyes at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him swagger towards the bar, and flirt with the bartender. Elena excused herself from the table.

Tyler and Caroline shared a nervous look. Neither one wanting to see the aftermath of the fight between the two stubborn people. It would definitely end in bloodshed...or ripped clothing. Either way, they wanted to put as much distance between them and the grill as possible. They paid their bill and left quickly.

Elena marched towards Damon, her mouth set in a firm line. She tapped him on the shoulder, even though she knew that he knew she was there. "What are you doing here Damon?"

His brow furrowed in mock confusion, "Having a drink?"

"You couldn't let me have one night to just be away from you and be angry?"

Damon raised an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes. She could be such a child. "Contrary to popular belief Elena, not everything I do revolves around you. And last I checked you did not get to monopolize the Grill."

She huffed in indignation, "Yes but I thought you and your _girlfriend _would be making use of the empty house at your disposal, therefore leaving the Grill open for me."

"Is that how this is going to work?" He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, "Fine then, I get the Grill on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. You get Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Sound fair?" He gave a cheeky smile, knowing his response would light her up like a firecracker.

Elena couldn't even form a coherent thought. She was so frustrated and angry and jealous beyond belief. She rolled her eyes and began to walk off, only to be stopped by a cool hand gripping her arm.

"Uh-uh. Not this time Kitten. We are going to talk like grown ups." He turned towards the bar and dropped off a couple of bills and downed the rest of his drink. He then gently tugged her out of the Grill and towards his car.

* * *

The ride to the boarding house was silent. Both could feel the tension in the car, and neither wanted to break the silence just yet.

When they finally made it to the house they each quietly walked to the living room where Damon proceeded to start a fire and Elena, knowing the direction this conversation could take, poured out two glasses of bourbon.

While Damon was busy Elena used these precious few moments to reflect on what had happened today so she would know what to say.

'_Why did I get so mad at him?' _she thought to herself, _'He was just sitting in the bar, it is a free country he can do what he likes, and he proves that often.' _ as she thought this an image of Andie came to her mind. She crinkled her nose at the unwelcome thought, and then took a sip of her bourbon, feeling the liquid lightly burn her mouth and throat.

"So Elena," Damon began, breaking her out of her own thoughts, "what was with the show?"

"Well, you were at the bar an-" He cut her off at this point, "No, no. I mean this morning. With Andie." His head tilted slightly and he grabbed his drink, taking a big gulp.

"I uh, I don't know really." That wasn't true, she did know. She just wished it wasn't true, then everything could go back to being simpler.

Damon gave her a 'I-know-when-you-are-lying-so-don't-even-try-it look, and she broke under his intense gaze.

"Alright, alright! I was jealous. There? Happy?!"

Damon didn't say anything, and turned his back to her and started walking to the chair opposite her. He sat down and still said nothing. Elena got fed up with the silence very quickly.

"Really? Nothing to say to that? Mr. I always have something sarcastic to say?"

Damon shook his head. "No Elena, nothing to say."

"Why not?" She was genuinely curious about this.

"Because, you are only jealous that I am paying attention to someone who isn't you."

Elena saw red. "How dare you?! You think I am that fickle that I would be jealous over _that?_ Well you are wrong! I'm jealous because I have feelings for you. Because I love you, you idiot!"

Elena was too hyped up to even realize she let that last bit slip until she saw the look of actual shock on Damon's face.

"What was that?" He whispered. Elena almost wasn't able to hear the words over the sound of blood pumping overwhelming her ears.

"I-I love you." She whispered back, and then remembered exactly how it came to be she said those words in the first place. "But what does it matter, I'm just this selfish jealous little girl, right?"

Damon was up and standing directly in front of her, their noses touching. His hands went straight to her hair and he whispered, "Wrong" before he lightly pushed his lips to hers.

It took Elena a moment to process what was happening before she responded very enthusiastically. Her hands gripped the back of his head, forcing his lips harder onto her, deepening the kiss. He groaned in response, a sexy sound that set Elena on fire.

He pulled away, panting from the intensity of the kiss. He leaned his forehead on hers and took in her dreamy look and slightly swollen lips. Knowing he put that look on his face gave him a satisfaction he had never quite felt before.

He spoke low, not wanting to completely break the moment. "By the way, I love you too."

She grinned a big toothy grin and Damon melted at the sight, giving her a peck on the lips, and pulled her body into his. Wrapping himself completely around her.

After a few moments he heard Elena's quiet voice, "What do we do now Damon? We still have to find Stefan. And...you are still with...Andie."

"Well we will find baby bro and help get him back to his usual broody self. As for Andie? She has got nothin' on you Kitten. She was a nice distraction from what I really wanted, and I will break it off with her as soon as possible."

Elena nodded and nuzzled her head into Damon's chest. He sighed in contentment. He then picked up Elena and sped off at vampire speed into his room and jumped on his bed, landing on his back with a giggling Elena on his stomach.

He playfully nipped at her neck and then leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Let's just have one night with no worries Elena."

Elena nodded in agreement and the two settled on Damon's bed content to just kiss and cuddle each other the rest of the night.


End file.
